171 LOTM

The Saint of Secrets, Botis, began to traverse the spirit world the moment he entered, heading straight for the easternmost front of the Sonia Sea—the ruins of the battle of the gods.

At this moment, his thoughts blurred. His body turned and left the spirit world through another place.

By the time Botis received a warning from his spirituality and had regained control of his own thoughts while feeling tense, what he saw was a bare forest with nearly all its leaves scattered. There was no one around, and the crimson moon hung high in the sky.

As a former Traveler and Astrologer, he immediately identified his location and found that he was still in Backlund. However, he had moved from the city to a remote area in the suburbs.

At the same time, he also understood what had happened.

It was unknown when his mind world had been infiltrated with someone else's consciousness. At the critical moment, it affected his thoughts and changed his destination!

That Spectator pathway's demigod! I didn't realize it! Botis's pupils dilated as a silvery-white illusory book appeared.

The book flipped to one of the pages.

Botis immediately raised his hand to grab at his glabella. He grabbed a ball of darkness from the island of consciousness and threw it into his shadow.

His shadow was separated from him as it twisted to a stand, revealing a female silhouette.

Black Knight, Shadow of Depravation!

This was an ability that Botis had "Recorded" from Saint Tenebrous Kisma. It could separate one's depraved thoughts into a shadow and form an uncontrollable independent creature.

Botis used it to erase the consciousness that didn't belong to him, and escape the influence of the Manipulator!

At the same time, this was also Botis's counterattack. As long as the hidden Spectator pathway demigod couldn't quickly resolve this "shadow," the thoughts she had fractured would gradually become independent, turning her half-mad and even causing her to lose control.

Once he was done with the latent mental problems, Botis didn't hesitate to escape the enemy's predetermined battlefield and "Teleport" elsewhere.

However, at this moment, his mind suddenly turned frantic. He felt that the entire environment was making things difficult for him, and his anger could no longer be contained.

As the silver book flipped in front of his eyes, the entire forest collapsed with a loud bang. The black "shadow" almost collapsed into a ball.

After his bout of mania, Botis's mood dropped to a nadir. He couldn't lift his spirits with regards to anything. He felt that he was useless, a burden to others and even the world.

Mental Plague! In the previous battle, Botis had already been infected by "Mental Plague," and it had finally acted up!

The reason why Cattleya first used "The Little Match Girl" magic wasn't only because she wanted to interfere with Botis's "Teleportation," but also because she was helping Miss Justice conceal any traces, allowing her Virtual Persona to infiltrate Botis's mind world without triggering his spiritual intuition. A seed of "Mental Plague" was planted secretly without triggering it.

It was precisely because of this that when the sneak attack failed, Cattleya and Audrey dared to initiate the contingency plan. They retreated on their own accord, allowing Saint of Secrets Botis and Saint Tenebrous Kisma to separate from each other after they were out of danger.

Cattleya's final igniting of the final green vine appeared to create a huge commotion to attract the attention of the official Beyonders, making the enemy abandon their pursuit, but in fact, it was to force the Saint of Secrets to leave as quickly as possible. This way, he didn't have the time to carefully examine and check his condition at a deeper level.

Hence, at the critical moment of his "Teleportation," he had his thoughts changed by Audrey's Virtual Persona. He came directly to the outskirts of Backlund, an uninhabited kill box which the Tarot Club had chosen.

And once he finished off the Manipulator's Virtual Persona, the eruption of "Mental Plague" came right on the heels of that.

In fact, if he had used "Reboot of Fate" earlier, he definitely would've been able to return to a state where there were no latent problems. However, he only decided to use this trump card when he was nearly killed by the Spear of Longinus. And by that time, his mind world had already been infiltrated for far more than three seconds!

He was dispirited and depressed, trying his best to resist his mental illness. It was at this moment that he saw a bunch of surreal yarn balls appear out of the void in front of him.

At the back of the yarn ball, the bright-colored yarn extended into an infinite distance.

Following this line, Cattleya, who was wearing a purple-patterned black robe and a dark-colored hood, walked over from the spirit world and appeared in front of the Saint of Secrets, Botis.

She was unable to track down enemies that had done some level of interference, but she could establish a connection with the predetermined battlefield. She could trace Justice Audrey's Virtual Persona!

The moment she arrived, Cattleya closed her eyes and formed a phantom image that fell towards an invisible coffin.

The already depressed Botis instantly felt extremely exhausted. He couldn't help but close his eyes, wanting to collapse.

Sleeping Beauty!

On the other side, Audrey's "Virtual Persona" which hadn't fully turned independent was like a dark shadow, bringing with it a sense of depravity. She raised her hand and pinched her forehead.

Her pupils silently turned vertical; they were pale gold and cold.

Botis's mind instantly exploded as bubbles of light appeared on the surface of his body. Within the bubbles, rays of starlight condensed into insects with their heads and tails fused into the void.

Psychiatrist, Frenzy!

This could completely trigger the target's emotions and even cause him to lose control.

Botis had already been infected with "Mental Plague" and was in an extremely abnormal state. Following that, he was affected by "Sleeping Beauty" magic and was in an extremely dispirited mood. "Frenzy" now triggered everything, immediately making it difficult for him to control himself as he showed signs of losing control.

Seizing this opportunity, Cattleya opened her eyes, raised her right hand, and rapidly formed a handful of spinning star sand in her palm.

The forest beneath the night became even darker. The crimson moon disappeared from the sky as stars appeared one after another. They were densely packed and dazzling.

The stars scattered their rays of light, forming a magnificent pillar of light that enveloped the area around Saint of Secrets Botis and his surroundings.

In the midst of the shock, Botis became a little more awake. His figure rapidly turned into a blur as he kept "Blinking," creating more than ten afterimages in the forest.

However, he could not escape the starlight's envelopment, nor could he "Teleport" away.

One by one, the starlight melted and dissipated the different Botis. Finally, there was only one person left genuflecting, propping up his body with one palm as he struggled.

Botis's body was in shambles. His eyes were already dark red, and he appeared to be on the brink of insanity.

When the starlight was in its final moments, he "Blinked" and dodged the follow-up attack of Audrey's Virtual Persona.

Then, he kept "Blinking" and created "doppelgangers" beside Cattleya and Audrey's Virtual Persona.

One of his "doppelgangers" grabbed with his left hand, distorting the area where Audrey's Virtual Persona was located. He concealed it in a bid to restrain the enemy.

As for his other "doppelganger," he spread open his arms and summoned a thick pillar of light surrounded by holy flames, letting it blast down into the concealed space.

During this process, Botis's other "doppelganger" had secretly removed the concealment of space.

Hence, as soon as the shadow corresponding to Audrey's Virtual Persona was freed from the restriction, it was enveloped by a holy pillar of light, quickly melting away.

In his "Blinking" state, Botis could use Beyonder powers at a speed faster than normal, but he couldn't sustain it for long. This was something that was achieved via using his numerous Worms of Star.

Elsewhere, the Saint of Secrets, Botis, was also attacking Cattleya. He had used various powers, and in the short span of a second or two, he had inundated his target with a barrage of attacks.

This forced Cattleya to constantly use "The Emperor's New Clothes" magic to avoid it. She was momentarily unable to counter-attack and was in grave danger.

A few seconds later, Botis's "Blinking" finally slowed down. The mania in his heart also eased.

At this moment, grayish-white and heavy scales suddenly appeared outside the forest. They were faintly discernible, as if they were forming an extremely oppressive behemoth.

In the dark night where the crimson moon was obscured, a nearly invisible stream of breath swept down from top to bottom, enveloping Botis and Cattleya.

The two demigods felt as though they were struck by lightning as their psyche was torn apart. Their Spirit Bodies seemed to be penetrated.

The breath of a mind dragon!

With his mental state already in a terrible state and having used a couple of his trump cards, Botis's mind went blank. As the flashes flashed before his eyes, his body couldn't help but tremble.

As for Cattleya, she was carrying the Moon Paper Figurine that she had obtained from Fors. This helped her bear the burden of "Psychic Piercing" once!

Although it was unable to completely eliminate the effects of "Mind Dragon Breath," it could help Cattleya recover faster.

This meant an opportunity in a battle at the demigod level!

In just a second or two, Cattleya's eyes returned to normal. As for Audrey who was in her dragon form and hiding in the darkness outside the forest, she cast another "Mind Deprivation" on Botis.

Without any hesitation, Cattleya raised her right hand and condensed the terrifying spear that was stained with fresh blood. She threw it at the Saint of Secrets, Botis.

This time, Botis could no longer dodge or resolve the situation. His chest was pierced through by the Spear of Longinus.

His body stiffened for a moment before it rapidly collapsed, turning into countless dazzling Worms of Star.

Some of these Worms of Star vanished directly, while others devoured each other. Some of them fused into a distant spot, forming a new Botis.

There was no longer any rationality left in his eyes. His body was continuously collapsing, revealing an incomplete and extremely weak Mythical Creature form.

At this moment, an illusory door appeared beside him. It was grayish-blue that had seven brass locks.

The illusory door quickly opened as it spat out a three-layered "jewelry box" embedded with various gems.

The Box of the Great Old Ones which had been exiled had returned.

With a crazed look in his eyes, Botis caught the box, revealing a cruel and bloodthirsty smile as he tried to open it.

The third level!

-x-X-x-

Towards the return of Botis's Grade 0 Sealed Artifact or the restoration of its normal condition, The Hermit Cattleya and Justice Audrey had made a preliminary plan. After all, they weren't confident at killing a demigod in such a short period of time.

If not for the fact that Botis had fallen into a trap having suffered the lethal blows of "Mental Plague,""Sleeping Beauty," and "Frenzy" and putting him into a crazy and incoherent state, he actually had many opportunities to "Teleport" away without being stopped.

In that case, Cattleya and Audrey could only wait for Botis to return to a "safe house" and release Fors. Once the Eye of Mystery Prying provided them feedback, they could remotely create an opportunity for Miss Magician to summon the Historical Void projection.

At this moment, facing Botis, who was on the path towards losing control with no way to reverse it and his crazy attempt to fully activate Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, Cattleya and Audrey—one right in the middle of the scene and the other hiding outside the forest—simultaneously took the same action. They took out a translucent dark charm and recited a word in Jotun:

"Star!"

This was a "Teleportation" charm. Following the patterns, labels, and symbols of the "Record" on the Leymano's Travels, Klein had made a charm himself.

Since Sefirah Castle could mobilize the powers of the Marauder pathway, there was no reason not to respond to the pleas of the Apprentice domain!

As for the materials needed for the charms, be it Mysticologist Cattleya or Traveler Fors, the both of them had a certain level of understanding towards it. There was no need for Mr. Fool to teach them.

When the two of them "Teleported" away with the triggering of the charm—having plans to come back after a minute or two to confirm the situation—there was a cruel smile on Botis's face. His eyes were filled with madness as his actions suddenly stiffened.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open the third level of the Box of the Great Old Ones!

It was extremely heavy, as though it was enveloped and suppressed by layers of forces. There was no way to activate it.

This made Botis feel like he was attempting to open a new world, not a box.

In an instant, he sensed something, and the madness in his eyes disappeared. Extreme astonishment and fear arose in him.

Tick tock. Tick tock. Wisps of light slid down from Botis's body. When they touched the ground, they transformed into insects formed from resplendent starlight.

The insects' bodies were bent into a semi-circle, forming a magical glow that resembled illusory doors.

At this moment, his incomplete Mythical Creature form suddenly collapsed and disintegrated in an irresistible manner.

The two eyeballs of his eyes landed on the ground and were stained with dust.

These two eyeballs were frozen with an indescribable look of horror. They were maintained perfectly, completely different from the other parts of his body.

A Sequence 4 Secrets Sorcerer died just like that.

Pa!

The Box of the Great Old Ones, which had a silver-black surface with many gems embedded in it, dropped beside Botis's eyes, just like a jewelry box commonly seen in aristocratic families.

Above the gray fog, in the ancient palace, Klein heaved a sigh of relief as he lowered the Sea God Scepter in his hand in puzzlement.

He was just moments from activating the power of Sefirah Castle and using the level of an angel to conjure "Lightning Storm." He wanted to prevent Botis from opening the third level of the Box of the Great Old Ones, but the Saint of Secrets's mutually destructive counterattack had failed to succeed. He encountered an unexpected failure from the very beginning.

After Xio left the first battlefield, she immediately followed the plan and prayed to Mr. Fool. With this, Klein found an opportunity to enter the world above the gray fog. Through the crimson star corresponding to The Hermit and Justice, he monitored the battle.

As she moved to the second battlefield, Audrey found an opportunity to pray, so that Klein could use her crimson star to directly interfere with the real world.

This was also the reason why Audrey had arrived at her destination later than The Hermit Cattleya.

According to what Arrodes said, the third level of the Box of the Great Old Ones contains something very terrifying. I thought that the True Creator had given it to him in order to create a terrifying disaster at the critical moment, so as to showcase the true colors of an evil god. Who knew that it couldn't be opened... Klein glanced at the crimson star representing The Magician and discovered that it was covered in a layer of black ash. It seemed to have coagulated, making it impossible for him to see the scene inside to confirm Miss Magician's condition.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation—evidence of how high a level and odd the Box of the Great Old Ones was.

As for "Sleeping Beauty" magic and the Spear of Longinus that he saw, he came up with some ideas.

After learning of the powers of Mystical Re-enactment at the private gathering, Klein overturned his speculations about the fairy tale magic that Bernadette had.

He had originally believed that the Emperor had specially created the stories for his daughter based on the fairy tales on Earth, or that after Bernadette's father passed away, she had deliberately reenacted the fairy tales he had told her about as a way to express her grief. From the looks of it, the answer likely wasn't this. Some of the fairy tales before the First Epoch might have been "mysterious."

This meant that those fairy tales originated from mysterious incidents that had happened in real life. They were spread among the people and gradually became stories. They were recorded down by writers and further embellished.

This corresponds to the prophecy regarding the time when the stars are right. Mystery and has never left and has always been around. It was just that in the "Earth Era" before the First Epoch, they were suppressed by some kind of power or sealed...

If that's really the case, some of the legends and stories on Earth can be explained from another angle... It's no wonder there's a Spear of Longinus... I wonder if the Chinese fable of the ethereal utopia, Peach Blossom Spring, is involved in mystery. I'll tell Ma'am Hermit later and see if she can create new magic according to this...

I wonder if Bernadette became a Mysticologist before the Emperor perished. If she did, it's hard to say if these fairy tale magics were created by the Emperor, a Sequence 1 Beyonder of the Mystery Pryer pathway, or by Queen Mystic Bernadette... But no matter what, the Emperor should have discovered that these fairy tales are also mysterious in his later years, and also that he could draw power from them. Well, there's no corresponding diary entry from Bernadette. I can't see the Emperor's reaction and his guesses...

One of the reasons he insisted on going to the moon is to verify certain things.

It's a pity that most of the myths are fake. There's no way to draw on their power. The novels of the Internet era are the same... Klein sighed slightly as he leaned back into his chair and continued paying attention to the battlefield.

In the collapsed forest, The Hermit Cattleya and Justice Audrey faced the abnormal changes suffered by Botis and tacitly gave up injecting their spirituality to use the charms.

Despite maintaining her "Dragon Transformation" state, Audrey was still hiding in the darkness outside the forest, wary of any accidents or official demigods who might have sensed the commotion and come to investigate.

As for The Hermit Cattleya, she was pushed to the spot where Botis had died by the wind. She carefully avoided the Box of the Great Old Ones.

Due to the fact that a Scribe could use many powers, a demigod-level Sealed Artifact would often have extremely negative effects. Apart from the Box of the Great Old Ones, Botis only left behind a black pocket which seemed to be part of his robe.

Also, there was also the gathered Beyonder characteristic, two eyeballs, and about ten Worms of Star. Most of the Worms of Star had been destroyed.

Considering the horror displayed by the Box of the Great Old Ones, as well as the fact that Botis was a high-ranking member of the Aurora Order and could be blessed by a god, Cattleya didn't rashly pick up the items. She was afraid that an accident would happen, causing the situation to develop negatively.

Previously, during the private gatherings, they had communicated with each other on how to handle such situations. That was, if they had the time and opportunity, they would first sacrifice the item to Mr. Fool and then distribute it above the gray fog. After all, many items might bring about unknown dangers if they were to come into contact with items with unknown negative effects. And there was a high probability that Botis had a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.

Sometimes, merely knowing the existence of a Sealed Artifact of this level was enough to cause a sudden death.

According to what The Star Leonard had said, it was best not to come into contact with such Sealed Artifacts. It was best not to ask, describe, or pry into it. Only a true high-level existence could suppress them.

Without any hesitation, Cattleya took out silver candles and other ritual items from the various hidden pockets of her purple-patterned black robe. She then set up a simple sacrificial ritual.

During this process, she pinched her lips, whistled, and created an invisible servant helper. It took about ten seconds to set up the altar.

After quickly reciting Mr. Fool's honorific name and using spiritual materials to open the Door of Sacrifice and Bestowment, Cattleya heaved a sigh of relief. She got the invisible servant to move the Box of the Great Old Ones, the black pocket, two eyeballs, the gathered Beyonder characteristic, and the nine Worms of Star over to the altar.

With a whoosh, the items flew up and passed through the illusory door.

When Cattleya saw this, she immediately pinched her lower lip with her thumb and index finger, preparing to whistle once again to dispel the invisible servant.

But amidst the whistling, the "servant" remained motionless, as though it had nothing to do with Cattleya.

The Hermit Cattleya's eyelids twitched as she clenched her right hand into a fist and pushed it to her mouth, preparing to use the Horn of Magic.

At that moment, a blazing silvery-white appeared out of nowhere at the altar. Layers of bolts of lightning formed a destructive storm that enveloped the invisible servant in the middle.

All of this quickly calmed down as the mutated servant was completely destroyed.

Cattleya exhaled and lowered her head, sincerely thanking Mr. Fool.

Then, she followed the ritual's ending procedure and packed her belongings. She used the "Snow White" magic, which was closer to a prophecy technique, to clear the scene of its traces.

And at this moment, Audrey had already used the Teleportation charm from before and left the scene.

Cattleya looked around, and considering that Mr. Fool might need something more ritualistic, she took out a card from her pocket and threw it in the middle of the collapsing forest.

The card was half inserted into the soil, revealing the image of an old man holding a glass lamp and staff as he explored alone: The Hermit of the tarot cards.

-x-X-x-

After a while, the space in the collapsed forest suddenly tore apart, revealing an illusory yet mysterious door.

The door opened silently, and a handsome man with black hair and golden eyes walked out. He was dressed in a well-ironed suit, looking mature and elegant.

Before he could examine the scene, he heard a loud boom. He could feel a violent storm blowing towards him, and he saw a middle-aged man with an imposing aura appear in front of him.

The middle-aged man had rather obvious large earlobes. His hair was dark blue and thick, and there seemed to be countless bolts of lightning hidden in his eyes.

He was the cardinal of the Church of the Lord of Storms, archbishop of the Backlund diocese, Deep Blue Officiant Randall Valentinus.

The clergyman in the black robe that was embroidered with storm symbols looked around and cast his gaze at the golden-eyed man. He asked in a thunderous voice, "Celt, what happened here?"

Celt, the golden-eyed man, shook his head.

"I just arrived too."

Just as he said that, a mountain-like nearly transparent Spirit Body appeared in the void and placed a figure in midair.

The figure was dressed in a long black, red-patterned bishop robe. His eyes were deep and he didn't have a beard. He was the person in charge of the Backlund diocese of the Church of Evernight, Anthony Stevenson.

After the gigantic Spirit Body completed its mission, it immediately shrunk and entered Saint Anthony's mouth. At the same time, black long hair covered his face, and a translucent, drifting spirit appeared behind Anthony. It held onto his shoulder, preventing him from falling.

In the next second, a turbulent flow of air rushed over from the Backlund city and pushed a figure towards this area at high speeds.

Soon, the figure came to a stop. It was an old man dressed in a white priest robe and a clergyman's cap. He had a kind and gentle face.

The air that was spewed out from the elder's back vanished as the black tube that was shimmering with metallic light retreated back into his body.

This was the archbishop of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery's Backlund diocese. He was a member of the Divine Council, Horamick Haydn.

He strangely stopped in midair and looked around.

"Although the battle here isn't too intense, it's definitely at the saint level.

"Also, the remnant polluted aura is simply... simply..."

As they spoke, the four demigods looked down at the middle of the collapsed forest.

There was a tarot card depicting an old man holding a staff and a glass lamp.

The Hermit card!

Randall Valentinus, Celt, Anthony, and Horamick instantly fell silent as no one spoke for a moment.

...

Above the gray fog, in the ancient palace, Klein was frowning as he looked at the Box of the Great Old Ones in front of him.

The moment this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact was sacrificed, the entire Sefirah Castle began to stir, as if it had been brought to boiling point.

A massive amount of power was automatically activated, forming a torrent that appeared like steam as it completely drowned out the Box of the Great Old Ones and wrapped around it tightly.

At this moment, the silver-black jewelry box that was embedded with gems seemed to become an insect in amber. There was no room for any movement.

Previously, Sefirah Castle was triggered when I spied on the true gods or Kings of Angels and when I was injured... This is the first time it has experienced such changes due to an item from external sources... Klein couldn't help but raise his right hand to wipe away the nonexistent sweat.

Frankly speaking, he was still a little afraid. He felt that he had been a little carried away after gaining initial control of Sefirah Castle.

In the past, he didn't dare let a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact enter this place. And this time, because it didn't involve a Uniqueness, and with how he had improved compared to the past, this gave him the thought of making an attempt.

Thankfully, it's under control... In the future, I'll have to tell Ma'am Hermit and the others that they can't pick up anything and sacrifice it to me. I'm not a rag-and-bone man... After muttering a few words, he began inspecting the Box of the Great Old Ones.

He remembered that Miss Magician was still inside the Sealed Artifact, so he planned on figuring out the situation of the Box of the Great Old Ones as soon as possible so as to prevent the bait from dying due to wasting time.

This Sealed Artifact's level is very high. Arrodes's understanding of it is rather limited. I'll still have to do it myself... From the looks of it, as long as I don't attempt to divine what the third level is or attempt to seek out the source of the power, the danger is acceptable or even nonexistent... Klein made a preliminary assessment based on his spiritual intuition.

Immediately following that, he conjured a pen and paper and began doing a "divination."

After an unknown period of time, he finally opened his eyes and muttered silently, The first level can allow the interior space to switch locations with the target's area and miniaturize the corresponding scene, turning objects into toys... This is an ability that can barely be made use of...

The living beings that have been turned into toys must be released within 24 hours. Otherwise, they will be permanently converted. Even their Spirit Bodies will never enjoy an eternal rest...

It's very easy to release them. As long as a specific region is chosen—one so small that it's almost devoid of any living creatures—swapping it with the interior space will do...

There is a limit to the scope of this ability. It reaches its limit with a city the size of Backlund... Why did I use Backlund as an example...

The second level records different scenes. There are the Abyss, cosmos, and all sorts of places. It allows the wielder and the living beings within a certain range to directly move to the target area...

This problem is it's random. A small portion can be designated by the wielder, thus releasing the corresponding location. Most of the time, the chosen location will change, and the destination of the final destination will be unpredictable... As for when the designated location will be effective and when an anomaly happens, there's no way to know...

Besides, this seems to be something that can't be affected by good luck. Or perhaps, good luck cannot affect those below Sequence 0...

This means that I can't use this Box of the Great Old Ones's Beyonder power to directly transfer the City of Silver out of the Forsaken Land of the Gods. Sigh, if I can, my Miracle Invoker ritual will be very simple... Uh, I'll try and see if making them into toys will work later...

The third level is very dangerous, very, very dangerous. I won't take the risk to pry into its secrets. No, this should be called courting death...

The negative effects of the Box of the Great Old Ones are very simple. It's just that the wielder will randomly vanish, suddenly die, or mutate. If there are no holders, the living beings in the surrounding areas will encounter terrifying matters one after another depending on their distance from it and their sizes. The maximum range is the same as the first level... These Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts can destroy cities wantonly, killing hundreds of thousands or even millions. It's no wonder they are given the highest sealing. One is not to ask, describe, or pry into them.

Where did the entities that vanished go? This seems to have something to do with the scene of the second level...

The reason why the Saint of Secrets dares to move around with this Sealed Artifact is because he had the blessings of the Angel of Fate Ouroboros. He can reduce the negative effects to a minimum, but even so, he didn't dare to hold on to it for too long because the blessings would wear off... It looks like the reason he didn't manage to recover his lucidity ahead of time and find a chance to teleport away had to do with his luck turning bad... It's really hard to kill saints that are valued by a huge organization...

I must say that Ma'am Hermit is considered experienced and clear-headed. She didn't make any rash contact with it. Instead, she created an invisible servant to hold it. Furthermore, she sacrificed this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact to me in the shortest time possible...

In theory, I can summon a Historical Void projection to hold this item. After all, it doesn't matter if it dies, vanishes, or mutates. However, the usage time cannot be guaranteed, unless I get Will Auceptin's blessing...

The way to seal it is to put it into the spirit world, and that's not enough. It has to be a space that has been distorted and hidden in the spirit world. Then, ordinary water has to be poured into it regularly, allowing the Box of the Great Old Ones to play with microbes every day... With so many living beings, it can last for a very long period of time... With this train of thought, there are still many methods to seal it...

After roughly figuring out the exact situation of the Box of the Great Old Ones, Klein looked at the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact and felt that the third level no longer seemed as dangerous and impossible to open as before.

He vaguely believed that as long as he extended his hand and removed the seal placed onto it by Sefirah Castle, he could easily open the third level of the Box of the Great Old Ones.

...What a strong temptation... Klein retracted his gaze and waved his hand, causing the Box of the Great Old Ones to fly towards the junk pile in the corner.

Regardless of whether it was a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact or not, head over there to be quarantined and get a hold of yourself!

As a terrifying Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, one has to have a number to show its importance. Unfortunately, I don't know how many Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts the seven Churches have obtained. It shouldn't exceed 50, right? Yes, the Box of the Great Old Ones can be temporarily named 0-61. I'll adjust it according to the situation in the future...

If Ma'am Hermit isn't able to create a sealed environment, she can place 0-61 above the gray fog. Once she needs it, she can apply for it. Of course, she must pray to Will in advance for "His" blessings... I wonder what stage I'll have to be before the "King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck" can be genuine in name. There's a portion in Miracle Invoker, and there should be a portion in Attendant of Mysteries... Klein amused himself with his thoughts and finally picked up the Beyonder characteristic left behind by Saint of Secrets Botis.

It looked like a crystal with countless rays of light refracted within it, forming illusory and resplendent doors.

After staring at it for a few seconds, he suddenly threw the Beyonder characteristic into the air.

The power of Sefirah Castle boiled once again. Under the control of Klein, it formed a corporeal semi-translucent wave and struck the crystal hard.

The crystal instantly shattered, splitting into countless tiny dots of light. A pitch-black gas emerged from within before it rapidly melted away, twisting and dispersing inside Sefirah Castle.

Under the law of convergence of Beyonder characteristics, those tiny dots of light slowly gathered together, and in nearly a minute, they reformed into the magnificent and dreamy crystal-like appearance from before, and landed in the palm of Klein's hand.

The contamination inside was cleared.

Inside Sefirah Castle, Klein was equivalent to a Sequence 2 angel. However, he mostly had the power, but not the corresponding level's Beyonder powers. He needed the right supporting item to help him.

After putting down the Secrets Sorcerer's Beyonder characteristic, he cast his gaze at Botis's remaining two eyeballs.

-x-X-x-

The pupils of Botis's eyes had already turned deep black, and they were frozen in a look of indescribable fear. It made Klein's heart palpitate when he saw it, as though he could feel the intense changes in Botis's emotions before his death.

After a series of inspections, together with "divination," he confirmed that these two eyeballs didn't contain any Beyonder characteristics, but they contained a strong corruptive force and a power that came from an unknown source. It could be used as a medium for curses, and it could directly affect the target. It was a rather dangerous spiritual material with an extremely long "expiry date."

I can't bring it with me for extended periods of time. Otherwise, I might be weakened mentally, have nightmares every day, and suffer a physical mutation... Klein casually summoned a square metal box and placed Botis's two eyeballs into it.

He didn't attempt to purify it, because once the item was shattered and purified, there would be nothing left. It would be too wasteful.

Due to the fact that there was nothing wrong with the Worms of Star and that it was also a material that Klein understood the most, he quickly turned his attention to the black pocket.

The results of "divination" surprised him because it was a so-called "interspatial" object.

The pocket only had the size of an adult man's palm. But in actual fact, it had the size of the two-bedroom apartment that the Moretti family had rented in Tingen in the very beginning. It was big enough to hold many things.

This was made by Botis using the powers of a Secrets Sorcerer. In essence, the pocket wasn't an object but an entrance.

...First, a region in the spirit world is distorted and isolated using "Space Concealment"; then, use the chaos created when the spirit world overlaps with reality. As long as there are proper coordinates, one can directly reach their destination, opening the "door" to that hidden area and entering this pocket space...

This is very similar to the method needed for sealing the Box of the Great Old Ones. However, one door is in the spirit world, while the other is in the real world. This results in a Sealed Artifact or mystical item inside the Interspatial Pocket to also affect the wielder...

From the looks of it, it doesn't seem to be of much use, as it can't eliminate the negative effects... Besides, I'm in the Forsaken Land of the Gods and can't connect to the spirit world. There's no use to having such a pocket...

Also, I have to reinforce the power of "Space Concealment" from time to time. Otherwise, it will gradually lose its effectiveness... It's only suitable for demigods of the Apprentice pathway, or an organization that has demigods of the Apprentice pathway or Sealed Artifacts that provide the relevant support...

The name "Interspatial Pocket" is too lame. I wonder how Botis named this item... Let's call it "Traveler's Bag"... After confirming the degree of danger, Klein conjured a fake hand and placed it into the black pocket.

Pitter-patter! A bunch of gems poured out as the fake hand was retracted and landed on the long, mottled table. The crystal-clear red, blue, green, white, black, and translucent colors instantly filled his eyes.

...I should've predicted this... The corresponding materials of the Apprentice pathway are gems—all the gems... The expression on Klein's face turned spirited as he sighed with a smile. He reached out with his other hand and picked up a few gems to feel the weight and texture.

Apart from these, there were also quite a number of spiritual materials in the Traveler's Bag. Some were commonly used, while others were relatively rare.

The Box of the Great Old Ones, the Secrets Sorcerer's Beyonder characteristic, nine Worms of Star, Botis's eyeballs, Traveler's Bag, and large amounts of gems and materials... This operation can be considered quite a harvest, enough for everyone to split it fairly...

Unfortunately, Botis had the ability to "Record" Beyonder powers and certain states. There's no need for him to bring too many Sealed Artifacts and mystical items with him. That would result in many negative effects... As a demigod, he should have a few good Sealed Artifacts. I wonder if they're hidden somewhere in the spirit world or at the Aurora Order headquarters... It's a pity that Botis's soul had just collapsed as well, preventing me from using spirit channeling on it... Klein shook his head and immediately returned to the real world. He found a hidden spot, put down the lantern, and set up a bestowment ritual.

He wanted to see if he could bring 0-61—the Box of the Great Old Ones—to the Forsaken Land of the Gods.

If he could, he could attempt transforming the entire City of Silver into toys and placing them on the first level of the Sealed Artifact. He could directly send it to the outside world through the sacrificial and bestowment rituals. This way, he could bypass the Giant King's Court and Dark Angel Sasrir, and could ingeniously complete the Miracle Invoker ritual.

After performing a series of tasks, Klein was done with his preparations as he reached out his right hand. He pulled out another himself before his actual body leaped into the fog of history and hid in the void of a time before the First Epoch.

He was worried that the Box of the Great Old Ones would cause a random death the moment it passed through the sacrificial and bestowment door.

In the fragments of light deep in the grayish-white fog, Klein took four steps counterclockwise and returned above the gray fog, responding to his own prayers.

After the mysterious ancient door of sacrifice and bestowment took form, he slowly opened it. He waved his hand, summoning the Box of the Great Old Ones that was enveloped by layers of forcers, throwing it into the gap behind the illusory door, towards the boundless darkness behind the door.

At that moment, the void's darkness suddenly became corporeal, as though it formed an invisible barrier that blocked the door that had just opened. It floated in midair, unable to move forward.

Klein frowned slightly as he watched this scene. He tried to stir the powers of Sefirah Castle and use the power at the level of an angel to push it forward, but he was unable to get the Box of the Great Old Ones to break the barrier.

...Indeed, the Forsaken Land of the Gods is sealed. It's just that I'm closely related to Sefirah Castle, so I could use it to respond. However, this cannot exceed a certain limit. Klein nodded slightly. He retrieved the Box of the Great Old Ones and threw it onto the junk pile.

Then, he conjured The World Gehrman Sparrow and got the fake person to give the detailed information of the Box of the Great Old Ones to Ma'am Hermit and Miss Justice.

This was to remind them to bring the Box of the Great Old Ones back to the real world within 24 hours, and to release The Magician Fors.

While doing so, Klein had informed Miss Justice to sacrifice some top-grade ice-cream to the Snake of Fate's Blessed before praying for the bestowment of the Box of the Great Old Ones. As for The Hermit Cattleya, she didn't need to make any external requests due to her having "Brief Luck." However, she needed to complete everything within a few minutes and sacrifice the Box of the Great Old Ones above the gray fog once more.

...

Backlund, in the border between East Borough and the bridge area, in an apartment that had been in disrepair for years.

Leonard, who was wearing red gloves and a black coat, was leading his team members to check the scene.

As the reserve force of the Church of Evernight, they were undoubtedly filled with energy at nearly ten at night.

"Captain, there's a serious crack on the walls here. Some of the walls have even been shattered. This apartment might not hold after the hurricane season next summer." The wine-red-haired Cindy came over and reported to Leonard.

Leonard scanned his surroundings with his green eyes and nodded slightly.

"Thankfully, this place is dangerous to begin with, and it has been abandoned for a long period of time. However, it's very strange that even tramps don't live here."

Cindy thought for a moment and said, "Captain, do you mean that there are Beyonders using this apartment, so they're secretly chasing away the tramps who sleep here?"

Another Red Glove, Bob, happened to be checking the bottom of the wall and casually added, "And then, they had an internal strife that developed into a battle. Something was then ignited?"

"That possibility can't be ruled out," Leonard answered in a professional manner. "But have you noticed? Every place in this room has signs of corrosion, and there's a lack of the remnants left behind by tables and chairs that should exist. It looks too empty... This doesn't look like something a Low- or Mid-Sequence Beyonder can create. I suspect that it might involve a higher level of power."

After a series of inspections and discovering many abnormalities, the Red Gloves team under Leonard failed to find any further clues. They could only return to Saint Samuel Cathedral first.

Just as they arrived underground, a bishop came to look for Leonard, asking him to bring two members upstairs for a meeting.

Leonard nodded thoughtfully. Without asking anything, he led Bob and Cindy through a secret passage into Saint Samuel Cathedral.

Following that, they followed the spiral staircase and under the illumination of the crimson moonlight, they arrived in a room with many people. It was equipped with a blackboard.

With just one glance, Leonard realized that there were quite a number of people who had worked with him before. They were from the Mandated Punishers, the Machinery Hivemind, and MI9.

Then, he noticed the three demigods, Horamick Haydn, Randall Valentinus, and Anthony Stevenson, as well as a black-haired, golden-eyed man who was clearly at the same level as them.

Without waiting for Leonard's greeting, Saint Anthony stood up in his red-patterned black robe and said in a deep voice, "There was a high-level battle in the outskirts of Backlund. There was a terrifying contamination present, as well as a tarot card—The Hermit.

"I noticed that you've done some investigations regarding the large number of incidents involving tarot cards. You had also raised a corresponding theory. Now, please give everyone here a detailed introduction."

"...The Hermit card?" Leonard expressed his true astonishment, but this was mostly because he was tasked with such a mission.

Ahem. He cleared his throat, walked to the blackboard, and turned to face the demigods and Beyonders of the three Churches and the military. He drew a crimson moon on his chest.

After organizing his words, this Red Glove Captain said solemnly, "In the past two to three years, the incident involving tarot cards that really caught our attention was because of Lanevus's death. He was embroiled in a conspiracy that attempted to allow the True Creator's descent, and his body was covered with tarot cards.

"After that, the tarot cards appeared on the Capim case again. However, this time, there was a change in the arrangement of the tarot cards. It emphasized Judgment and The Emperor...

"...Back then, I linked these matters to an organization that suddenly believed in The Fool in Backlund. As you know, The Fool is the starting card of the tarot cards."

This bold guess made several demigods and many other Beyonders nod slightly. They felt that this might indeed be related to some level of mysticism.

Leonard paused before continuing, "And below The Fool, this organization might have quite a number of official members. They use tarot cards as code names, such as Judgment, The Emperor, or The Hermit of this incident..."

As he spoke, Leonard picked up a deck of cards that he used as a demonstration and randomly picked one.

He glanced at it and chuckled.

"Such as... The Star."

-x-X-x-

The demigods and Beyonders present nodded at Leonard's demonstration, indicating that they understood what the Red Glove captain meant.

One of the Mandated Punishers raised his arm and took the opportunity to ask a question:

"In other words, whoever left a tarot card behind is the member executing the mission?"

"That should be the case." Leonard did not give a definite answer.

The same Mandated Punisher continued asking, "What do the tarot cards that were scattered all over Lanevus's corpse mean then? There's no specific direction."

Leonard immediately picked up a white chalk and wrote the name Lanevus on the blackboard behind him. Then, he drew a circle.

"I've just said that in the past two to three years, the matter involving tarot cards have really caught our attention because of the Lanevus case. This is very likely the beginning of everything.

"Therefore, without a specific direction, the casually scattered tarot cards might be referring to the whole. This means that the organization that uses the tarot cards as code names has officially stepped onto the stage of history. Heh heh, please forgive me for using poetic words."

"That makes a lot of sense." The few Mandated Punishers were convinced by Leonard.

Leonard looked around and continued, "Let me use the Aurora Order, which everyone is familiar with, as a comparison. We all know that there are twenty-two Oracles in the Aurora Order. Each of them will be in charge of a region's affairs. It's very possible that the organization with the tarot card code names is the same. The members of the likes of Judgment, The Emperor, and The Hermit should have their own factions. They will exert their influence in a particular region."

Upon hearing this, a member of the Machinery Hivemind pondered and said, "However, the three members corresponding to Judgment, The Emperor, and The Hermit have appeared consecutively in Backlund. According to what you just said, does this mean that the organization that uses tarot cards as code names are still lacking in scale, and that the members are all gathered in Loen, or perhaps just in the Backlund region? After all, Backlund's person-in-charge for the Aurora Order is only an Oracle. As for Saint Tenebrous, he's in charge of the entire Loen."

Leonard slowly nodded, indicating that he understood what he meant.

He organized his words and said, "This possibility cannot be ruled out. After all, this is an organization that has only appeared in the past two to three years.

"Of course, there might be other reasons. This organization might not be divided based on location demarcation. Instead, they are determined by whether or not they can handle an area alone. They will also work together depending on overlapping situations, such as the Capim case."

Seeing that the Beyonders of the three Churches and MI9 didn't raise any further questions, Leonard deliberated for a few seconds before saying, "Next up will be all my personal guesses. There are also some problems with it. This might be a direction of investigation for the future.

"The first question, what is the purpose of this organization?

"If they are like the Aurora Order, with the goal to spread the faith of an evil god, then why haven't we discovered people who believe in The Fool? Even if there are, they're all people who are scamming others in the name of The Fool.

"Second question, what do they have in common in the few operations? I haven't been able to find it yet.

"The third question I have is that high-level members who use tarot cards as their code names are not of low Sequences and have their own factions. However, they aren't famous in the Beyonder world at all. This is very abnormal. After all, although the twenty-two Oracles of the Aurora Order hide their identities, they have more or less crossed paths with us. They rose up from Low-Sequence Beyonders to Middle-Sequence Beyonders under our 'watch,' eventually taking over the spot as Oracle when their predecessor dies or advances. They are all already on our lists."

Having said that, Leonard paused and said, "If the organization that uses the tarot cards as its code name is really an organization that believes in The Fool, then there is someone who can answer my third question.

"He's the crazy adventurer, Gehrman Sparrow. Rumor has it that he believes in The Fool."

This name made all the Beyonders from the three Churches and MI9 fall into silence, as though they were quickly recalling the relevant information.

They had long heard that Gehrman Sparrow had a mysterious background. He believed in The Fool, and they had obtained quite a bit of information from him. However, they hadn't made any connections like Leonard to string everything together.

A few seconds later, the archbishop of the Church of Evernight, Saint Anthony, said in a deep voice, "...Gehrman Sparrow seems to be in close contact with the original Death Consul of Balam. That's an angel who's still active over the land."

This gave the Beyonders who weren't demigods a fright as they instinctively sat up straight.

They all knew about Admiral Hell, but due to the confidential restrictions, they didn't know that the Death Consul represented a Grounded Angel.

"...That Death Consul doesn't seem to belong to any faction of the Numinous Episcopate," said a Beyonder from MI9 hesitantly.

Leonard nodded solemnly.

"Perhaps 'He' is a member of the secret organization that uses the tarot cards as a code name.

"Death card!"

There was another round of silence. All the demigods had to admit that this was possible.

The level of the secret organization that was represented by tarot cards suddenly rose, reaching a level that was equal to the Aurora Order.

"In short, Gehrman Sparrow is a clue." Leonard took a deep breath and slowly said, "Your Graces, ladies and gentlemen, I'm done."

Saint Anthony nodded slightly and stood up. He looked around and said, "Up to now, this secret organization that uses tarot cards as their code names hasn't targeted us yet. It has shown a certain level of friendliness. Now that the war situation is tense, we are severely lacking in manpower, so it's difficult for us to take any major actions. Therefore, I suggest that we try our best to avoid conflict with them and not attempt to eradicate them for the time being.

"Of course, we have to do what we need to do. A secret organization with the existence of a Grounded Angel itself represents danger. If we don't understand it or grasp enough information about it, we won't be able to react in time and stop any possible conspiracies."

Horamick and the other demigods thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Anthony Stevens looked around, his gaze landing on Leonard's face.

"This investigation will be led by you. Coordinate it well."

"..." Leonard agreed solemnly.

At this moment, Deep Blue Officiant Randall Valentinus spoke to Leonard impatiently, "Give them a name. We can't keep saying 'secret organization that uses tarot cards as a code name.' It's quite a mouthful.

"What suggestions do you have?"

Leonard considered carefully before saying, "Tarot Club?"

"That works." Randall stood up and said with a thunderous voice, "Let's call it the 'Tarot Club'!"

...

Late at night, in Empress Borough, in the Hall family's villa.

The exclusive dessert chef, Tim, suddenly woke up from his dream and stared at the ceiling in the darkness.

He had just dreamed that he was enjoying an ice-cream and had just eaten it when he woke up.

The more he thought about it, the more intense his cravings became. In the end, he overcame his feelings that it was trouble and got out of bed. Putting on a thick sleeping robe, he walked out of the room and came to a pantry not far away.

As a slightly famous dessert chef in the aristocratic circles, Tim was given special privileges by Earl Hall. He could enter the pantry at any time and use the ingredients here to test his new ideas.

Meanwhile, Tim had repeatedly returned Earl Hall's trust with high-quality desserts.

Of course, he often appeared in the pantry due to mid-night cravings for food, just like now.

After some serious and hard work, Tim used the remains and prepared ingredients to make a few cups of ice-cream and ate half of it.

Then, he patted his stomach, washed the cutlery, and left the pantry in satisfaction.

The remaining few cups of ice-cream were left in the corner, as if they had been completely forgotten.

...

In Cherwood Borough, by the Tussock River, in an uninhabited shallow flat.

Wearing a dark-colored cloak, Audrey first made use of Dream Traversal to arrive nearby before walking over on foot.

She skillfully set up the ritual and prayed to Mr. Fool.

Soon, a silver-black accessory box embedded with many gems tore through the illusory door and landed in front of Audrey.

Audrey tucked a wisp of blonde hair behind her ear and picked up the Box of the Great Old Ones, 0-61, without any delay. She aimed at a few rocks and pulled open the first layer.

Silently, numerous long tables and chairs appeared messily in the area. Several Beyonders that had used various means to conceal their faces appeared. One of them was the hooded Fors.

Their skin quickly changed from that of a toy's to that of a human's, and their eyes began to move.

Fors, who had the highest Sequence, recovered the fastest. Looking around, she was extremely surprised to find that she had unknowingly come to a flat by the side of the river from that apartment.

Furthermore, this change was only limited to her overall area. The situation around her was no different from before.

Where am I... What happened... Fors's gaze landed on the empty altar. After pondering for a second, she seemed to understand something as she asked in surprise, "Has the matter ended?"

"Yes," replied Audrey, who was using her Psychological Invisibility.

It's ended... It's ended... Fors followed up with a confused and dazed question.

"How's the target?"

"He's dead." Audrey was multitasking as she controlled the other six Beyonders. Her answer was very simple.

He's dead... Saint of Secrets Botis has died... I didn't participate in the battle. I didn't summon Gehrman Sparrow's Historical Void projection... Fors's mouth gaped slightly as she felt like she was dreaming.

She only felt that she had been terrified for a second and was in a daze for a moment, and the mission had already been completed...

At this moment, she saw the surrounding Beyonders come to "life," but they didn't show any surprise towards the change in environment. It was as if the gathering had been held here.

They skillfully destroyed the chairs and long tables and threw them into the Tussock River. Then, they left the flats one after another and returned home under the illumination of the street lamps.

...This is a Manipulator... How terrifying... Fors jumped in fright and completely snapped awake.

"Return first." Audrey didn't have time to explain. She turned around and used the altar from before, preparing to sacrifice the Box of the Great Old Ones above the gray fog.

Fors shot a look over, but she didn't ask or say anything. She made her body turn transparent as she vanished from where she was.

-x-X-x-

In the ancient palace above the fog.

Dark red starlight shot up, forming several figures.

Leonard did a casual glance, and his gaze suddenly froze on the silver-black jewelry box placed on the long mottled table.

If he recalled correctly, this was likely a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, the Box of the Great Old Ones that The World Klein Moretti had specially emphasized during the prior private gathering.

The Saint of Secrets was really in control of this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact? And he even used it? Yet, Ma'am Hermit and Miss Justice succeeded? Leonard's pupils dilated slightly as he nearly couldn't believe his eyes.

As an official Beyonder, a Red Glove captain of the Church of Evernight, he knew Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts very well. He knew that these items could easily destroy a city, causing people to suddenly die without putting up any resistance. When facing them, not only was contact with them impossible, but even understanding them was something that should be reduced if possible.

Leonard originally believed that Ma'am Hermit and Miss Justice would leave the battlefield according to the plan after encountering a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. They would then think of a way to rescue Miss Magician. To his surprise, they had succeeded, and had even retrieved the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact!

Ma'am Hermit's Mystical Re-enactment has reached such a high level? Did the "Feast of Betrayal" she mentioned really make the Sealed Artifact rebel? Or could it be that Mr. Fool had provided some help? Leonard muttered silently as he glanced at The World Klein Moretti who was seated at the bottom end of the long bronze table. He discovered that his former colleague was rather calm.

Klein surveyed the area and said, "Congratulations, everyone. The hunt this time was very successful.

"All the spoils of war are here."

As he spoke, he raised his right hand, condensing various bits of mysterious knowledge into a pale white luster. He also included a small number of legends that came from the East, such as Peach Blossom Spring, and Lanke's Go Match. He wanted Ma'am Hermit to test if they were mystical or not, and whether there was any real source.

"Ma'am, this is your reward." The World Klein made the pale white light fly towards The Hermit Cattleya. Then, he pointed at the Box of the Great Old Ones, the Secrets Sorcerer's Beyonder characteristic, the Traveler's Luggage, Botis's eyeballs, nine Worms of Star, large amounts of gems and materials on the table. "In addition, you have the right to choose first."

After the battle at the demigod level with the Saint of Secrets, Cattleya finally found the bearing and confidence of a saint. She first received the pale white glow and closed her eyes to digest the mysterious knowledge contained within.

In the Second Epoch, the ancient gods believed that the original Creator, The Oldest One, left some objects behind. Perhaps it was a "kingdom" formed from a portion of "His" body or something that "He" created...

There are nine of these that contain the various sefirot. They are the Chaos Sea, Sefirah Castle, River of Eternal Darkness, Knowledge Moor, Tenebrous World, Brood Hive, Nation of Disorder, City of Calamity, and the Key of Light...

The ancient sun god came from a place known as Chernobyl...

The Marauder pathway's Sequence 0 is called Error...

Emperor Roselle's fairytales might have originated from something that happened before...

...

As the mysticism knowledge resonated in her, Cattleya couldn't help but open her eyes and look at The World Gehrman Sparrow.

There were too many things inside that shocked her, making her realize that she had opened the door to a whole new world!

I never thought of Mr. Fool's origins in the past. Now, I can vaguely grasp it... A thought flashed through Cattleya's mind as she had a guess.

She immediately controlled herself. She didn't want to think too much, nor did she dare to think too deeply about it.

She was afraid that she would come up with an answer that was enough to make her lose control.

This is one of the nine sefirot. Mr. Fool's goal is to gather all the sefirot and attempt to recover...

Raising her right hand, she nudged her heavy glasses on her nose bridge. Cattleya forced herself to focus her attention on the small "tales" and decided to return to the real world to completely digest the potion before she attempted to create magic with them, allowing her to draw on their power using Mystical Re-enactment.

Of course, she also believed that not every one of them would succeed. She believed that a portion of those stories were purely fabricated. After all, this was a gift from Mr. World. There was no guarantee that they would be effective. After all, out of the many fairytales and ancient legends that Emperor Roselle recounted to Queen Mystic back then, only a few of them truly produced magic.

She took a few seconds to compose herself and cast her gaze to the middle of the long mottled table, preparing to choose her spoil of war.

Without a doubt, the most eye-catching item was the Box of the Great Old Ones labeled "0-61." The silver-black jewelry box embedded with many gems completely overshadowed all the other items.

Cattleya wasn't too unfamiliar with Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts, because Queen Mystic had more than one. It was also because of this reason that the Queen's Element Dawn was able to compete with the ancient organization, Moses Ascetic Order, that had been born in the early Fourth Epoch.

The gap between an angel and a saint was not something the magic of a powerful fairy tale could make up for.

To become a truly powerful figure, one had to advance to Sequence 2 or possess a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. It wasn't that Cattleya didn't have any desire for the Box of the Great Old Ones, but when she thought of the hint that The World Gehrman Sparrow had received from Mr. Fool, the terrifying negative effects, the third level's extreme danger, and most of the Beyonder powers that she couldn't control, she felt a sense of horror.

Although she had "Brief Luck," she still lacked the ability to seal the Box of the Great Old Ones so far.

After a series of intense struggles, The Hermit Cattleya pointed at the dreamy crystal and said, "I want the Secrets Sorcerer's Beyonder characteristic."

If they could find a suitable High-Sequence Artisan, it could be transformed into a rather good Sealed Artifact, one that had barely acceptable negative effects. Queen Mystic Bernadette happened to have the resources to do so, but the commission might not necessarily succeed.

In the end, even if there's only "Teleportation," that will be enough. However, it's obvious that a Secrets Sorcerer wouldn't only be able to grasp Teleportation... Even if the negative effects are excessive, I can get Queen Mystic to shatter and try again, or I could sell it to Miss Magician... Yes, she said that her teacher would prepare the ingredients for her... Following that, Cattleya nodded at The World Gehrman Sparrow to confirm her choice.

Choosing the Secrets Sorcerer's Beyonder characteristic? Upon hearing Ma'am Hermit's reply, a scene appeared in Klein's mind.

Wearing a purple-patterned black robe, the lady wearing a dark-colored hood relied on "Blink" to leave behind many doppelgangers. Then, they would all ignite a match at the same time.

...The Little Match Girl will turn into countless witches selling matchsticks... This is a horrifying fairytale... The World Klein couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth as he tersely acknowledged.

"Alright, it's your right."

He then cast his gaze at Miss Magician.

"It's your turn to choose."

"I-I didn't do anything..." Fors said guiltily.

Klein scoffed and said, "You successfully acted as bait."

"..." Fors didn't know what expression she should use to respond, but she heard Mr. Star seemingly laugh.

She slowly took a deep breath and cast her gaze at the spoils of war on the long bronze table.

Frankly speaking, she wanted to choose the Box of the Great Old Ones because it was an item that her teacher's family had snatched away.

She didn't want to use it herself; she wanted to return it to her teacher directly.

However, considering that she was only bait, Fors felt that she was not qualified to take an item of this level.

Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts were extremely rare, precious, and dangerous. She had already gained a deep impression of them with Mr. Star's introduction. She knew that the value of the Box of the Great Old Ones was definitely not something a saint's Beyonder characteristic could compare with.

With this in mind, she chose under The World Gehrman Sparrow's watch. Fors finally gave up the impulse and pointed at the pair of eyeballs.

"I'll take them."

She wanted to bring the pair of eyes to her teacher and tell him that Botis was dead. It was an end to all the hatred.

In addition to such a value of the item, Botis's eye could be made into a powerful hex item or be used as a medium for a curse. It was considered a pretty good item.

Klein nodded slightly and did not persuade her. He only pointed at the gems, materials, and the Worms of Star and said calmly, "You also paid the price of a Moon Paper Figurine, you can choose something to make up for it."

"Alright." Fors reflexively agreed.

As the Apprentice pathway needed gems for several charms and rituals and could still be appreciated normally, Fors took a portion of the gems and waited for the bestowment ceremony to obtain them.

With that, Klein shifted his gaze and said to Miss Judgment, "It's your turn."

Xio also knew that she had not contributed much, and she knew that she had no ability to withstand the negative effects of the Box of the Great Old Ones, so she didn't even take a look at 0-61 and pointed to the black pocket.

"I'll choose Traveler's Bag."

This way, she could carry heavy weapons with her and might even be able to pull out a cannon at a critical moment.

As for the problem of strengthening the hidden space after a period of time, she had also considered it. After all, she could still use it for about a year for the time being. In the future, she could rent a Sealed Artifact from Ma'am Hermit to maintain it. Furthermore, at that time, Fors might have already become a Secrets Sorcerer.

The World Klein nodded and looked at The Star Leonard.

"It's your turn."

Leonard did not stand on ceremony. He scanned the area and tapped a few times.

"Three Worms of Star, twenty gems, and those ingredients."

This feels like I'm paying "protection fees" to the official organizations... After lampooning his dear poet, Klein turned to Miss Justice and said, "The mission was very successful and I'm very satisfied. Although you have already received your payment, you can still choose a little more."

Audrey could decipher the sincerity of Mr. World's words. Without any excuses, she chose a Worm of Star and a third of the spiritual materials.

At this point, as the mission's commissioner, The World Gehrman Sparrow had obtained five Worms of Star, a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, a third of the spiritual materials, and nearly thirty high-quality gems.

He smiled and looked at Fors.

"Remember to tell your teacher about this. Just say that this is a gesture of my goodwill. And I want to make a deal with him."

-x-X-x-

Fors wasn't surprised by Mr. World's request. She nervously replied, "Al-alright.

"What kind of deal is it exactly?"

During this period of time, she had communicated with her teacher, Dorian Gray Abraham, several times. Under Miss Justice's guidance, she had laid quite a lot of foundation for the impending request.

The World Klein laughed hoarsely.

"You don't have to tell him what I want for now. Just lay out my chips for him and see if he's interested."

"Your bargaining chip is still the promise to break the Abraham family's curse?" Fors cautiously sought confirmation.

Klein nodded and pointed at 0-61 on the long mottled table.

"It can also be this Box of the Great Old Ones."

An item used to exchange for a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact can't be simple... Be it Justice Audrey or The Hermit Cattleya, both of them suddenly had such a realization.

However, Fors paid more attention to the promise of breaking the curse. This was because she had experienced it herself and knew how tragic her teacher's family was.

She replied solemnly without hesitation, "Alright."

...

Backlund, West Borough, in the basement of a house.

Saint Tenebrous, who was hidden in the shadows, suddenly grew out of the darkness.

He turned his head as if he was listening to something. The muscles on his cheeks began to twitch. It wasn't just one chunk of flesh, but bits. Not only were they not connected to each other, but they were also interfering with each other. It looked extremely odd.

In seconds, Kisma wore an extremely painful expression as his skin tore apart, as flesh and blood beneath squirmed, mixed with a deep black.

With a thud, he fell to the ground and prostrated himself before the altar, vomiting out large amounts of organs and shimmering light.

Saint Tenebrous's head was pressed tightly against the ground as he muttered crazily, "Botis actually died...

"A Secrets Sorcerer who wields a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact died just like that...

"There's a tarot card, The Hermit...

"The two enemies that attacked were saints. One was a Mysticologist, while the other was a Manipulator...

"The organization that believes in The Fool and uses tarot cards as their codenames...

"Gehrman Sparrow... Azik Eggers...

"..."

After an uncontrollable murmur, Saint Tenebrous Kisma cried, feeling both vexed and pained.

"I repent, I repent, I repent..."

...

A few days later, in an apartment's room in Pritz Harbor.

The disguised Dorian Gray Abraham had received a letter from Fors through many hands.

He examined it carefully and confirmed that there were no issues. After confirming that there were no abnormal signs, he took out the letter with the help of a letter knife.

The beginning of the letter was the usual greeting. Following that, Fors directly wrote:

"...We have already killed Saint of Secrets Botis, and obtained the items on his person..."

"..." Dorian had originally planned on scanning through the letter quickly, but he ended up stuck on this sentence. He read it a few times and forgot to continue reading.

Dorian knew how strong and powerful Botis was. He also knew very well how terrifying a Secrets Sorcerer was.

But now, the new student he had been teaching for over a year had told him in a very calm tone that Botis had already been taken care of.

In an instant, the only things that echoed in Dorian's mind were thoughts of: "impossible," "a lie," and "a conspiracy." He suspected that Fors had already been controlled by the Aurora Order.

In any major faction, Sequence 4 Beyonders were the absolute upper echelons and extremely important members. How could they be so easily killed!

Dorian's throat bobbed up and down as he forcefully focused and continued reading the contents of the letter.

"...We have obtained the Box of the Great Old Ones. I believe you aren't unfamiliar with it..."

After reading another line, Dorian's eyelids twitched a few times. He felt that the letter in his hand was as heavy as a boulder.

Of course, he wasn't unfamiliar with the Box of the Great Old Ones. This was a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact of the Abraham family, proof that they had once been glorious.

...The one that was killed was Botis who possessed the Box of the Great Old Ones... Dorian's shock kept rising. He felt that things had gone beyond his imagination. On the other hand, he felt that there was a possibility that it wasn't impossible. Perhaps the one who really killed Botis was actually the Box of the Great Old Ones.

He knew very well how dangerous that Grade 0 Sealed Artifact was!

At the same time, he finally noticed a word: "We."

This was the first time Fors had indicated that she had companions and partners.

Of course, Dorian had already guessed it, but he hadn't called her out.

Indeed... Dorian sighed and eagerly read the rest.

"...I have a friend who wants to show you his goodwill by pushing for this operation against Botis. He said that he wants to make a deal with you, and is willing to use the Box of the Great Old Ones or a promise to remove the Abraham family's curse in exchange. He wonders if you are interested. He doesn't know where you are, and I won't tell him. You can totally refuse..."

A promise to remove the curse? Dorian skipped over the Box of the Great Old Ones and ruminated on the extremely important part of the sentence.

After the first few letters, he had fully understood the true nature of the family's curse. It was both a sorrowful and helpless matter—a glimmer of hope that was brewed out of the pain.

Before this, who would have thought that the person who caused the descendants of the Abraham family to lose control would be their ancestor's cry for help?

This was like a cruel joke from fate.

Dorian didn't know if Mr. Door knew the consequences of "His" actions, nor did he know how to describe his complicated feelings. However, he couldn't help but start searching for a way to make Mr. Door return and completely remove the family curse.

This was a path with very slim hope, but for the Abraham family, it was enough, because a light had finally appeared in the darkness.

After an unknown period of time, Dorian folded the letter and smiled bitterly to himself.

"Goodwill... Such goodwill is frightening..."

After he muttered to himself, he fell into silence again. His expression was gloomy and his heart seemed to be struggling.

Gong!

The sound of the wall clock rang punctually, snapping Dorian out of his daze.

His expression gradually became solemn, and he finally made a decision.

After making up his mind, Dorian felt much more relaxed. He even smiled.

He first burned Fors's letter before packing his bag and heading out to the steam locomotive station in Pritz Harbor.

He was going to Southville, but not to hide, but to make some preparations.

He planned on handing all his family's items and potion formulas to one of the family members who was staying there before returning to Pritz Harbor. With his identity as Dorian Gray, he would head to Backlund to meet his student, Fors, and the powerhouse who had shown his goodwill.

When the time came, he would consume a type of medicine in advance to allow himself to suffer a powerful curse that rooted itself in his Spirit Body. He would have to regularly consume another type of medicine to maintain his life. This way, even if he was controlled and unable to commit suicide, he would quickly die because he had no chance to take the medicine. With his Spirit Body dissipating, he wouldn't leak any key information.

For this "journey," Dorian had put life and death aside.

He was willing to sacrifice his life for that slim hope.

...

North Borough in Backlund, beneath Saint Samuel Cathedral.

Leonard, who had just had a discussion with the members of the Mandated Punishers, the Machinery Hivemind, and MI9, returned to his office and sat down.

At that moment, the slightly-aged voice of Pallez Zoroast resounded in his mind:

"They've finally found the exact location of the Jacob family's treasure trove and are about to enter."

"Ah?" Leonard was momentarily stunned, unable to react.

Previously, at the gathering of the Hermits of Fate, he had sold the news of the Jacob family's treasure trove. As no one knew what was inside, no one was willing to offer a high price. And Leonard's main goal was not to trade, so he had only exchanged it for some rare spirits.

He immediately lowered his voice and said, "Old Man, how do you know that?"

"Heh, it's a given that I sent out my avatar to monitor the area," Pallez Zoroast replied unhappily. "Are you underestimating an angel from the Marauder pathway?"

Leonard laughed dryly.

"Old Man, you've recovered quite well. You even have excess characteristics for an avatar."

"I'm already at the level of a Sequence 2." Pallez Zoroast scoffed. "Next, don't go out. Just stay inside the cathedral to prevent any accidents from happening."

"Are you worried that a trap lies within the treasure?" Leonard asked thoughtfully.

"How can a treasure left behind by a Marauder angel not have a trap?" Pallez Zoroast said with a scoff. "I can't predict what will happen, but staying underground in the cathedral is definitely safe."

Leonard nodded and suppressed his voice.

"Let's hope everything goes smoothly. Old Man, you promised me that if you can successfully obtain a Sequence 2 Beyonder characteristic, you will steal a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact from the items they obtained for me."

It wasn't that he was concerned about whether he reaped anything out of it, but rather, it was to ease his sudden anxiety.

"Weren't you against 'stealing'?" After a mocking remark, Pallez fell silent, as if "He" was focused on monitoring the situation at the Jacob family's treasure trove.

About an hour later, "He" heaved a sigh of relief in Leonard's mind.

"Although there were many traps and accidents, they eventually reached the predetermined target. Heh heh, I only took that characteristic and a Sealed Artifact. The rest will be their payment.

"Don't be in a hurry to leave this place. Wait until I absorb that characteristic before leaving. When that happens, there won't be any problems."

Leonard immediately relaxed and leaned back, crossing his legs as he read the newspaper leisurely.

In the evening, Pallez Zoroast finally spoke again.

"It's done."

"His" voice contained plenty of emotions, but because it was too complicated, Leonard was unable to tell.

Seeing that nothing had happened and that Old Man might still need to digest, Leonard stood up and rubbed his temples. He left Saint Samuel Cathedral and returned to 7 Pinster Street.

As he passed through the porch, he suddenly saw a person sitting on the sofa.

The man was wearing a classic black robe and a pointed hat. He placed his right leg over his left and was leisurely reading a newspaper.

As if sensing Leonard's arrival, that person raised his head and adjusted the monocle on his right eye, revealing a teasing smile.

-x-X-x-

Amon!

Blasphemer Amon!

Leonard was no stranger to the person in front of him. Not only had he faced his avatar, but he had also heard of "His" various deeds and nasty character from Old Man Pallez Zoroast.

At that moment, Leonard's thoughts nearly froze as his mind went blank. Only a small number of thoughts could spin.

Amon's lips suddenly quivered as "He" muttered a raving that was completely at the level of a deity.

One voice after another echoed in Leonard's mind as though it came from the countless number of Amons:

"Are you pleasantly surprised? Are you shocked?"

"After realizing that I won't be able to get Sefirah Castle any time soon, I shifted my focus to Backlund..."

"If it wasn't to fool all of you, why would I have played such a simple cat-and-mouse game with him?"

"I think you two should be in contact..."

"He must've told you that I'm still tracking him and sabotaging his operations, that I even set a trap for him at his destinations..."

"That's just an avatar that's close to Sequence 1..."

"Ah, right. Pallez, I forgot to tell you that in the later years of the Fourth Epoch, I pretended to be the ancestor of the Jacob family. I had long swallowed 'Him' in secret. Then, I watched 'His' descendants panic. Then, I thought of a way to add another secret treasure trove to the place where Tudor became Blood Emperor..."

"I didn't finish off these fellows, because I had a premonition that this treasure trove would be very useful. I had an avatar that had been sleeping there for more than a thousand years, patiently waiting for someone to open the treasure trove. As for the other avatars, I didn't synchronize this information to 'Them.' That way, I might be able to create a ruse at some point in time..."

"Yes, this kind of 'synchronization' is something I invented. Pallez, you're quite behind the times..."

"In order to confirm your whereabouts, I watched that bunch of fellows destroy the traps and take the items away. I watched your avatar steal the characteristic and Sealed Artifact from their hands. I watched 'Him' carefully devour and digest it. Now, my patience has finally paid off..."

"I guess you must be thinking of how to stall for time and wait for a deity's descent..."

These voices overlapped each other, tearing through Leonard's thoughts and hurting his soul. It made his head swell and contract, causing a bunch of short black hair to grow on his face. It made his ribs and waist bulge as though it was about to form a new body.

With just the ravings alone, Leonard was close to losing control. He was in extreme pain and had no means of resisting.

This was the son of the Creator, a King of Angels.

At the same time, 7 Pinster Street changed. At some point in time, pitch-black stone pillars were erected around them, propping up a majestic cathedral.

Each column of the cathedral was embedded with the bones of different races. They were densely packed as they used different eye sockets to stare at the puny Leonard who stood in the middle as though they were conducting a trial.

Amon stood in front of the cross that was more than a hundred meters tall in the depths of the church, smiling as "He" looked at Leonard's grimacing face.

"This corpse cathedral is pretty good, isn't it?

"I just 'stole' it not long ago.

"This way, if 'They' wish to discover any abnormalities here and do a deity's descent, it can stall for at least thirty seconds. That's enough."

As "He" spoke, Amon raised "His" hand to pinch the crystal monocle that had a beaming face underneath it.

Leonard suddenly heard a "gong." It was ethereal, as though it came from an infinite distance away.

This caused the ear-piercing ravings that tainted Leonard's Spirit Body to come to an abrupt stop as everything around him turned silent.

In Leonard's eyes, beams of light shot out from his body, condensing into a pure and pure figure that was like a wingless angel.

The figure was also a hundred meters tall, and its body constantly coruscated with a faint glow, as though it was announcing the passage of time.

With that, Leonard's body was pushed by an invisible force as he flew towards the door of the corpse cathedral.

On the door, transparent and distorted faces appeared. They sealed the inside from the outside, isolating it from the spirit world and the astral world.

Gong!

Another bell rang. The transparent faces filled with pain froze.

Leonard's figure was no longer obstructed. In this short span of time, he passed through the main door of the "corpse cathedral" without feeling anything.

Everything he saw instantly returned to normal. There was still a bit of light high up in the sky. The gas lamps by the side of the streets were already emitting light, illuminating 7 Pinster Street.

From the outside, the building was silent, quiet, and dark. There was nobody around.

Old Man... It was only at this moment that Leonard finally found his train of thought. His heart tightened as he strode forward and returned to the house.

However, the door to 7 Pinster Street was so heavy that he couldn't open it any time soon.

With this obstruction, Leonard finally regained some of his senses. He hurriedly retreated as he quickly thought of what he could do to save Old Man.

After a few steps, he stopped and lowered his head with a solemn expression. He quickly chanted in Jotun, "The Fool that doesn't belong to this era..."

Leonard already knew that the one inside was Amon's true body. And to deal with Amon's true body, he could only seek help from a god!

...

Walking through the darkness with the lantern in hand, Klein entered the historical fog immediately. Then, he took four steps counterclockwise and went above the gray fog.

After listening to Leonard's prayer, the puzzled and nonchalant-looking Klein instantly sobered up. It was as if he had just woken up from hibernation and had just climbed out of bed when he was splashed with a basin of cold water.

Amon's true body has gone to Backlund... Amon's true body has found Leonard and Pallez... Amon stole the corpse cathedral from "His" brother and used it to delay a divine descent... So it turns out that when "He" suggested that we play the game of "who will be the first to find Black Demonic Wolf Kotar," "He" had never thought of deciding on a winner. "He" didn't care what the stakes were either. "His" goal was to draw my attention and believe that "He" is still pursuing me and trying to steal Sefirah Castle from me... The trap hidden in the Jacob family's treasure trove was planted by Amon for one to two thousand years. It has finally come into play... Many thoughts flashed through Klein's mind as he raised his right hand and summoned an item from the junk pile.

0-61, Box of the Great Old Ones!

This was a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, and it was also from the Apprentice pathway. It could better utilize the power of Sefirah Castle and produce better results!

In the face of Amon's true body, this might bring Pallez some hope.

At the same time, through the prayer light, Klein confirmed that Leonard hadn't been possessed by Amon. He immediately instructed in the tone of Mr. Fool, "Leave the scene and go to an Evernight cathedral.

"Also, pray to Evernight."

A pinnacle Sequence battle beneath deities was definitely not something that a Beyonder at Leonard's level could participate in. Even though Klein had gained some initial control of Sefirah Castle and held 0-61, he didn't have much confidence. He only hoped that he could stall for time until a deity's descent happened.

Outside 7 Pinster Street, Leonard heard Mr. Fool's words echoing in his ears.

He was stunned for a moment before he looked up at the tightly shut door. Then, he turned around and used his right knuckle to ruthlessly knock on a certain tooth.

A series of illusory mud surged out and sprayed onto the top of Leonard's head, enveloping him from top to bottom.

Suddenly, Leonard seemed to transform into a mud doll as he kept sinking to the ground and fusing into the earth.

This was a rare natural spirit he had exchanged from the Hermit of Fate. It didn't contain any Beyonder characteristics, and its powers mainly came from the spirit world.

It allowed Leonard to quickly traverse the soil at a speed far faster than the steam metro.

As Leonard left the battlefield, Klein had picked up the gem-embedded Box of the Great Old Ones. He stirred the power of Sefirah Castle and cast his gaze at the pitch-black church that overlapped with the embedded bones.

The cathedral isolated his "true vision," preventing him from seeing the situation inside. He could only determine that the battle had yet to end through the flashes of light that the stained glass let through.

Use 0-61's first level's powers to swap its interior space with the corpse cathedral? No, isn't this equivalent to letting Amon enter Sefirah Castle? Just the first level of the Box of the Great Old Ones cannot imprison "Him"...

Activate the second level and move the entire 7 Pinster Street somewhere else? No, it won't work either. Once we leave Backlund, there won't be a timely divine descent. It will be even more dangerous for Pallez Zoroast...

Third level? Opening it might lead to a switch in owners of Sefirah Castle...

"..."

As his thoughts flashed through his mind, Klein came up with an idea. He wanted to narrow the target area to a tiny point and exert pressure on it to crack it!

He wanted to exchange the corpse cathedral's door and the space in the first level of the Box of the Great Old Ones using Sefirah Castle, so that the seal that isolated the spirit world and the astral world would be ineffective.

If that was the case, the deities would realize the situation and accelerate the speed of a deity's descent!

At the end of the long, mottled table, Klein sat in his high-back chair and aimed at the crimson star representing Leonard as he opened the first level of the Box of the Great Old Ones.

The surging power in Sefirah Castle suddenly calmed down, returning to its usual concealment as it silently pierced through the crimson star.

In the real world at 7 Pinster Street, the door of the corpse cathedral that overlapped with ordinary buildings lost its luster. Following that, it became a light pool with gravel and cobblestone.

The situation inside and outside suddenly cleared up, and it was reflected in Klein's eyes.

In front of the cross that was a hundred meters tall, the black-robed, pointed hat, and a monocled Amon, slowly turned around to the "opened" door.

"He" held a crystal pillar formed from light and shadows in "His" hands. There were many twelve-ringed Worms of Time swimming rapidly inside. Everything around them seemed to stop.

Amon raised "His" head and looked up into the sky as the corners of "His" mouth curled up.